Masquerade
by Sakuoto
Summary: Fushimi Saruhiko, third-in-command of Scepter 4 and traitor to Homura, he who bears the marks of both the Red & the Blue clan. One day he realises that he holds the key to a new power. Could this brilliant violet be the savior he's been looking for? But everything brings its own consequences. Saruhiko-centric with hints of Reisi/Saruhiko & SaruMisa.
1. The Opening

**_Note: _**_I apologise in advance for any grammar mistakes & typos. These are not proof-read, sadly._

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It was a day like any other, however here he was, staring at his own reflection in utter disbelief. The bustling streets below faded into silence. The glittering night skyline shone at its brightest, however within the dim-lit room he didn't notice either of these facts. One thing occupied his full attention. The fiery red and electric blue aura, that surrounded him and smothered the reality. Taking a deep breath, he tried to fuse them together with all his mentality and concentration, and they did. One moment his aura had been an array of **crimson** and **sapphire**, now it was brilliant **violet**. His heart sped and his concentration dropped. The raging violet dissipated, leaving azure orbs that stared back at him, cradling a foreign emotion deep within them…it was **astonishment**. The **nonchalant **teenager had finally given way to the **prudent **young man. But no-one had to know, life was a **masquerade** and masks were an essential.

Saruhiko had awoken the next morning with a little too less things on his mind, but that was normal. Slipping out from under the cotton sheets, he attempted to rub the sleep out of his eyes without any success. After a little more dawdling and fiddling on the edge of his double bed, he trudged to the bathroom of his tiny apartment. Although tiny, it fit everything Saruhiko ever needed, which wasn't much. A modern kitchen, a furnished bathroom and the sanctuary that was his bedroom. His bedroom contained a bed, a desk, a tall wardrobe and a small box, hidden away from strangers. An aromatic scent of irises drifted hazily through the air. The house's resident was no longer conscious of its presence, it had grown on him.

Turning on the tap, the shower unleashed an unrelenting assault of steaming water onto the young male triggering a curse from the delicate lips. Despite it, Saruhiko let the burning water rain down upon him, he wanted to wake up, and this was the best way. Unlike others, the cold had no effect on him, he was immune to it, or rather it was another thing that had grown on him, so hot showers were allocated as a method of waking himself up. He quickly ran his slender fingers through his hair before preparing to turn off the tap. From the corner of his eye, Saruhiko suddenly noticed the water drops splashing across his Homura mark evaporated the instant they came into contact with the intricate design. This hadn't happened before, so he was curious. Yes, curious. Slowly he directed his outstretched hand towards his shoulder blade and gently touched the scratched out mark. It felt hot, much higher temperature than a human's skin should feel. He wanted to stand there and slowly figure out the reason behind the sudden change but an alarm snapped him out of it.

Saruhiko named it the "Awashima Prevention Alarm". He was going to be late for work. One thing he absolutely despised about Scepter 4, was the workload. Especially when Seri was around, the moment he clicks his tongue he is demanded back to work by the overly-attentive second-in-command. He had also learnt that being late to the office, could leave a sour taste in your mouth for the rest of the day, though Seri was nice enough to reserve it especially for him. Despite his apathy, Saruhiko didn't enjoy being interrogated, and occasionally threatened, by Seri every. single. day.

Hastily jumping out of the shower, Saruhiko quickly dried himself off with a towel before heading towards his room half-naked. Throwing his clothes on, he grabbed sword before slamming the door of his apartment closed behind him. All the while, he couldn't take his mind off the incident in the shower, and of course the night before. Mindlessly he sped down the winding staircase that led down to the main lobby, managing to miss several steps on several occasions. Saruhiko had some kind of trust in his peculiarly good motor skills. Upon reaching the exit of the building a sudden realisation hit him. He'd forgotten his phone, and his glasses. A groan escaped his lips as he began to trudge slowly up the stairs, back to his apartment. He'd probably just used up a day worth of energy within an hour of waking up.

Finally arriving at the Scepter 4 headquarters, two hours later. Why has it taken Saruhiko so long you ask? Well, the man himself didn't really understand it either. All he's done is painfully climbed the stairs, slipped on his glasses, looked for his phone, found it, put it in his coat pocket and re-descend down those horrid stairs. His chosen place of residence was surprisingly close to the headquarters, about a fifteen minute walk away. His habitual nonchalance clearly wasn't an easy thing to shake off, not that he wanted to. Having said that, Saruhiko had nimbly sneaked into the hallway and was just about to slip into the main office when...

"Fushimi."

"And I was hoping for some peace," the said male mumbled under his breath, immediately dropping back into his usual posture.

"You're late. I clearly indicat-" Seri started but remembered something else, "Munakata wants you in his office."

"Yes, yes. I'll be there." The snail-like journey to the Blue King's office, that happened only to be ten meters away, began.

"NOW!"

Pushing open the oak doors of the commander's office, Saruhiko stepped inside with a sigh. At least he didn't get a lecture today. Maybe he should thank Reisi? Maybe not, it would be too out of character.

"How about knocking next time, Fushimi-kun?" the man seated behind the desk asked.

"Yes, yes." Saruhiko remembered saying this the last time he'd entered without knocking. Oh well.

"Mind if I ask where you were this morning?" Reisi stated, looking up from his jigsaw.

"Things happened."

"I see. A report will be sufficient then."

"What?" the younger man exclaimed lightly. The Blue King was much more troublesome than his reputation had him down as.

"I'm just teasing you, Saruhiko."

"Please do it in front of people then."

The two men had a strange relationship, it would be expected since Reisi was the person who had mysteriously convinced Saruhiko to betray Homura, and his beloved Misaki. The Blue King was a man with the demeanor of a noble but his harsh words never matched his royal tone. Saruhiko thought he was a manipulative man, but that wasn't quite it. In front of other people he was 'Fushimi-kun' but behind closed doors he was 'Saruhiko'. At first he detested Reisi calling him that, but as time drew out, and the emptiness that Misaki left grew, and Reisi's 'Saruhiko' was the only thing that could halt its growth. As much as Saruhiko hated to admit it, the Blue King was a man he needed now that Misaki turned his back on him, or rather Saruhiko turned his back on Misaki.

"What do you need?" Saruhiko asked out of pretend annoyance.

"There's a mission for us," the sapphire replied as it met the azure.

"Us?"

"Just the two of us."

"That's creepy, Reisi." Somehow he could detect the sarcasm in the commander's last comment.

"Of course I'm just kidding. There's been an incident on the outskirts of the city, and I need you and your team to come with me."

A habitual click of the tongue. "What about Awashima?"

"She needs to address the prime minister today, so she is occupied."

"Looks like I don't have a choice then," Saruhiko sighed as he began heading back out the door.

"We'll be departing in five minutes," Reisi added after him.

Stepping back out into the empty hallway, a crazed grin spread across Saruhiko's features. This would be a great chance to test 'that' out on something, or better yet, someone. However, he knew he had to be careful. There's a long list of consequences listed next to the possibility of Reisi seeing it. Plus there was also the other issue at hand. Could he control that power? Was that power even real? Or was it just a delusion his worn-out mind had left him? Either way, that moment had changed Saruhiko, so he wasn't going to let it slip away from him that easily.

All the queries, uncertainties and possibilities whirled within his mind. A small chuckle escaped the lips of the once emotionless Saruhiko. Quickly wiping the maniacal grin off his face, the third-in-command headed off to ready his team.

**This was the introduction to the magnificent masquerade that would follow.**

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_**Note:**__ This will be continued on a (possible) weekly basis. I love this idea so I've gone as far as giving it a title (that is subject to change). This is a Fushimi Saruhiko-centric fanfiction. A big thanks / dedication to __**Kayleigh **__from majinxkayleigh (for lighting the fire of this idea)! I welcome any ideas regarding this piece, they will come in handy!_


	2. The Violet

_Apologies in advance for grammar mistakes & typos. Possibly._

* * *

The mission itself didn't sound bothersome, go in, grab some criminals, get out. What really bothered Saruhiko, was the fact he had to spend an hour sitting right next to Reisi. Maybe even longer, seeing how the traffic was particularly horrible. So in his head, the younger man recited a chant for the traffic to speed up. He knew that at some point, possibly very soon now, the bubble of awkwardness would burst and something even worse will replace it. Also the excitement, yes he could now feel excited, was at the brim and threatening to pour out. However, being a master of masquerades, Saruhiko's default expression settled on his face without changing.

Reisi was behind the wheel of the sleek sedan, and he had only allocated one person to accompany him in his car. Saruhiko. One, it wasn't logical to have everyone crammed in his car, the van was just enough for those on Saruhiko's team. Two, the younger man next to him had always piqued the Blue King's interest. From the first moment he laid eyes on Saruhiko, he knew there was something unique about the said male. It wasn't the extreme display of apathy Saruhiko kept around him, nor was it the fact he was a traitor to one of the worst people to anger, Suoh Mikoto. Glancing at to the side, Reisi noticed that Saruhiko was strangely tense. Although Saruhiko's default expression was the same, something about his aura just screamed impatience.

"Nervous?" Reisi teased.

"You think?" The younger man replied as he shot the king a death glare.

"I never thought the day Saruhiko is nervous about a mission would come."

Saruhiko was slowly learning to ignore the teasing Reisi.

"Don't worry. I'll protect yo-" Reisi didn't even finish his sentence when he received the other man's fist in his gut.

"I'm heading there first," Saruhiko stated monotonously, as he threw open the door of the sedan, right in the middle of the road, and stepped out. The traffic wasn't moving anyway, but he definitely startled a nearby motorcyclist.

"Young ones are so lively," the commander grinned as the door was slammed closed. A curious glint flashed across Reisi's glasses before he pulled out his phone to contact the van behind him about a route change.

Meanwhile, Saruhiko slowly navigated his way towards the destination. Not only was the traffic slow, he realised that walking was substantially slow as well. Especially when you're the only walking against the tide of people. It was only then that Saruhiko realised that he hasn't really walked anywhere since he joined Scepter 4. The elected mode of transport was the control van. Taking a moment to look up at the sky, he noticed that it was painted a brilliant sapphire. He sighed. Sometimes he felt like Reisi had more than those 2 pairs of eyes. Unlike in Homura, he could roam around freely behind Misaki, but those days were long gone. His hand instinctively reached up to where his mark was. But it wasn't completely over.

Finally arriving at the dockside where the mission was to be undertaken, Saruhiko felt like he'd just spent half his day trudging through the torrents of people. He actually preferred the control van now. Not Reisi's car though. Maybe if Akiyama or Andy was with him, just not alone with Reisi. Something like a shiver ran down his spine from just thinking about it. Despite his demeanor, somehow he'd become casual friends with Akiyama and Andy. It didn't really bother Saruhiko but he personally thought that his personality could ward off those happy-go-lucky types like those two.

A flash of movement in the corner of his eye interrupted Saruhiko's thoughts. The curtains have finally opened for the first act. He let a smirk decorate his features for a second before returning to his usual expression. Slowly, but with an unusual bounce in his step, Saruhiko made his way towards the warehouse, to where the first steps of self-discovery was.

"Hurry up and pile it on!" the rough voice of a man demanded.

"There's too many in here, if we put anymo-"

"Shut up and just cram it in." The voice was impatient, its eyes glanced towards the closed door as if expecting something to storm in any second. "We have five minutes to get out of here."

After two more minutes of scuffling, an engine roared, the sound echoing throughout the warehouse. The van, stripped clean of any distinct markings, silently. The voice almost let out a sigh as they steered several shipping containers past the warehouse. The coast was clear.

"I should get an extr-," it began but was quickly intercepted by the gasp that escaped its lips. A man clad in blue was standing right in their path several meters away. Those stupid law enforcement.

"Wah? What do we do?" His accomplice exclaimed desperately. Clearly not cut out for jobs like these.

"Run him down." Simply too easy, was what the voice's smile said.

As the van approached him top speed, Saruhiko pushed his glasses back into place, unfazed. He did have a plan in place, but he wanted to see how vicious his opponents were before he got down to business.

Just as the van was about to ram into the man in front of them, the accomplice squeaked and swerved the van to the left. A myriad of swearing exploded from the voice, but was silenced when the van leaned precariously onto its left-side before crashing, bonnet first, into a nearby shipping container.

A sigh escaped Saruhiko's lips. Looks like he'd have to make do with some meek minds.

A shaky figure emerged from the burning wreck, followed several seconds later by another. The later was more steady, and held something black in his hand. Saruhiko only had moments to react to the gunshot that followed. He had expected them to have a gun, but didn't expect one of them to shoot so accurately right after their brains were turned-about.

"I guess you have some idiotic persistence after all," he clicked as he noticed the trail of blood on his hand from where the bullet had scraped past.

"You'll pay for that!" exclaimed the enraged voice as it proceeded to empty the gun magazine at Saruhiko.

The edges of Saruhiko's curled up into a smirk. The brilliant violet aura exploded from Saruhiko, instantly vaporising any bullet that was brave enough to near him. It rose higher into the air above them before wavering and descending downwards. As he glanced at the other two men, the fear etched on their faces made him shake in silent laughter. This was power, and it was his. Something that was finally exclusively his.

As he brought the violet closer towards them, Saruhiko noticed that the shadows around them began quivering. The sun didn't quiver, nor did the solid shipping containers so what happened? The moment he asked himself the question, his aura simmered down to a electric blue. The violet was lost. Saruhiko clicked his tongue. Looks like it still needed his complete concentration. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the voice grasping for another weapon.

"Fushimi, emergen-"

"Surrender yourselves," stated the familiar voice of the Blue King, halting Saruhiko mid-sentence.

Munakata Reisi and Saruhiko's team finally arrived at the scene.

Taking his hand off the hilt of his sword, Saruhiko was strangely appreciative of their arrival. Using the violet aura tired him out much more than he'd expected, but it left him with a sense of fulfillment. Something that had remained foreign to him for too long.

"Are you alright?" Akiyama asked Saruhiko.

"Yeah."

Akiyama patted Saruhiko lightly on the shoulder before heading off with the rest of the team to arrest the two men and examine the wrecked van for evidence.

Saruhiko needed time to analyse his own abilities, so silently he slinked towards the exit. Only to be stopped.

"Fushimi-kun."

Shoulders immediately slouched.

"I would like to have a talk with you."

A light 'Tch' echoed through the emptiness.

"Get in the car."

Saruhiko almost wanted to do a double-take and sprint home, but the energy had been sapped out of his veins. With another click of his tongue, he began following Reisi back to the man's car. However he didn't realise what the Blue King had in store for him.

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_Cliffhanger~ A very hint-y one at that v _ _As you can tell, I'm a fan of some minor Scepter 4 members. The artists are so nice to have given them each some kind of individuality. Though they are very OoC. T^T_


	3. The Contract

_Not proofread. Sorry for typos and grammar mistakes!_

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This time around it wasn't as bad as the first. Saruhiko had flopped into the car seat out of sheer exhaustion, Reisi slid in after him before firing up the engine and reversing out of the port. Surprisingly the latter did not speak throughout the trip, he had noticed the Saruhiko's fatigue and had decided to give the younger man some time to regain his energy before he received what may possibly just be an interrogation. What the younger man didn't know that Reisi had spotted that flicker of purple right before it disappeared. The moment he saw it a small smile had appeared, Reisi immediately knew he was right in taking the bundle of potential under his wing. Maybe the other will become what Reisi desires within his 'hand'.

Expecting an interrogation, all of Saruhiko's barriers had been reinforced but as the journey dragged on without a single word, they were slowly lowered. There was a strangely placid atmosphere in the car which eventually coaxed him into closing his eyes to reflect on what had occurred. There were two things he had confirmed about this power; it required all his concentration to use and its powers were nothing like either of his current powers. But what were its powers? The only clue he had was that instantaneous flicker of the shadows when his violet aura had initially appeared. Other than that, it seemed destruction was probably the closest thing. He continued to ponder upon this until the car eventually came to a complete stop.

"We're here," Reisi stated as he slid the key out of the ignition.

Looking around Saruhiko quickly registered the familiar lobby of his apartment. Didn't they have to return to work? Maybe Reisi had just forgotten? But it was better for him this way.

"Well?"

"…" With a curt nod of thanks Saruhiko hopped out of the car, preparing to escape to the apartment before the other could remember about their job.

One step behind Saruhiko, Reisi exited the car before heading towards the other man's apartment lobby. Just as he was about to enter, he registered a vending machine in his peripheral vision. Exactly what he needed. Catching a glimpse of Saruhiko's coat tail as the other turned the corner, Reisi calculated that there would be enough time for him to grab something then head to the other's apartment. It was rude to enter someone else's house without some kind of gift. Besides, he needed the younger male to be more awake when he discusses what he just witnessed earlier.

Saruhiko trudged slowly up the stairway still in thought. There was a few things he'd like to try out, maybe this called for a rare night out downtown. Going downtown also meant he may be able to see 'him'. Yes, this would be perfect. Eventually arriving outside the door of his apartment and fumbling out his keys, there was a click before he stepped inside. However before he could slam the door shut, a boot jammed itself in between the door and the frame. There was not even a need to examine the boot to know who it belonged to. With a click of his tongue, Saruhiko attempted to push the door closed, only to have the person from the other side push it open further.

"Go away!" Saruhiko said irritatedly.

With one swift move, Reisi threw open the door. "Isn't it a bit rude not to invite your superior inside?"

"You didn't ask."

"I did drive you here."

The younger male clicked his tongue before ditching the conversation and heading inside.

Closing the door silently behind him, Reisi entered with a small "Sorry to intrude". This was the first time he has been inside the other's apartment and the best word to describe it was, empty. Other than the essentials, there was nothing else. Not a single picture nor anything else personal was present. It didn't give the impression of a home, merely a temporary shelter. But it was surprisingly clean. Making his way towards the sofa, he set down the drinks he bought on the kitchen counter before making himself at home the sofa. Even he needed a break sometimes.

There were no words to describe Saruhiko's level of annoyance, just when he thought he could trial out this new power. Having his King lazing around his apartment simply lodged an iceberg right in the middle of his plans. Throwing off his uniform coat, he eyed the drinks that Reisi bought. They were in his house so why not? Besides he practically lived on black coffee. Grabbing a can, before hesitantly taking another one for the other, he headed towards the sofa.

"What do you want?" Saruhiko asked as he sat down on the floor opposite Reisi and placing a can next to the other.

"I just wanted to have a little chat with you, Fushimi-kun."

Saruhiko clicked his tongue as he popped open his drink and drank one large gulp.

Deeming it a good time Reisi continued, "I'll get straight to the point then. I don't want you using that violet aura freely."

The coffee he was drinking caught in his throat causing him to struggle with forcing it down before having a small coughing fit. Out of all people, it just had to be his King. "A-are you sure i-t was p-purple?" he asked through coughs.

"Fushimi-kun, I'm pretty certain of what I saw with my own eyes."

"It was probably just some trick of the eye."

Choosing to ignore the other's excuses, Reisi proceeded, "I'm certain you too do not understand its power. However it appears you are adamant to discover that and the extent of its power."

Saruhiko really disliked people who could read others.

"I propose a deal."

"A deal?" That was a rare word out of Reisi's mouth.

"I will help you ascertain then strengthen your powers to their full potential. However on certain conditions."

Saruhiko let out a small "hmph" before replying, "This has nothing to do with you, let alone placing myself under some stupid restrictions."

**Click**. Saruhiko found himself around three centimetres away from the Blue King's face. Their glasses had made that small sound of complaint from being crashed together.

"This does concern me, Fushimi-kun. You are under my service and protection, as long as you are I do not want your newly acquired powers out of control and involving innocent civilians," Munakata stated, staring deep into the youth's eyes.

Something about the other's eyes felt as if the depth of his soul was being gazed into. Swatting Reisi's hand away from his collar, Saruhiko quickly placed a two metre difference between them.

"On the other hand, I can also offer you some guidance and the training you seek," Reisi sighed but a small smile decorated his lips.

"…" Strangely the offer was tempting. It was only because it came from Reisi's mouth. Somehow the Blue King seemed to have worked out Saruhiko's buttons pretty well. There was a lot more he could gain from this, "But what are the conditions?"

"Simply you do not tell nor show anyone that violet aura other than me."

Well that sounded simple enough.

"I am the Blue King for a reason, there are things I can do that normal people cannot," Reisi reassured. Picking up the can the other had set down beside him earlier, he popped it open. "How about it, Saruhiko?"

Reisi could see the younger man, who was fuelling himself with coffee, pondering about the possibilities. Although on the surface it may appear to benefit Saruhiko only however he himself was satisfied as long as he could keep the trickster that was Saruhiko within his hand. With this proposition, he would be able to train and oversee the man who had potential to become the ultimate Joker in this game of sevens. It was beneficial for both of them.

"F-fine," Saruhiko finally mumbled. "But on one condition."

"And what would that be?" Reisi asked as he finally sipped on his drink.

"I want…"

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**_A/N: _**_I've made slight changes in the way they call each other, namingly Seri now calls Reisi, 'Captain', and how Saruhiko calls Seri, 'Awashima Vice-Captain', because I started this before we saw any real interaction between the three of them. Apologies for the previous mistake!_


End file.
